Concept to Completion

This article was written by me for an online magazine called Fuzzfur in 2006. Ten years later, I have the same beliefs and this November 2016 is a big election for our country.

Concept to Completion

Action Required

by Jodi Jones, October 2006

When the editor told me the theme for this month’s issue was “concept to completion” I tried to think how I could tie it into one of my favorite subjects to discuss: politics and government.  As November rolls around, I am reminded of the event that occurs in November.  No, not Thanksgiving… Election Day. 

Most people forget Election Day and some people don’t even vote when that day in November rolls around… but those same people will be the first to complain when in May or June the government, or elected officials, do something they do not like. 

Let me just say – if you are too lazy to get up and vote on November 7, then you forfeit your right to complain about who wins the election.  And when I’m standing next to you and hear you complain, the first question I will ask you is, “Well, did you VOTE?”  Nine times out of ten, I hear, “No, my vote doesn’t really count anyway.”  First of all, that’s not true (but that’s for another issue).  Second of all, if you voted, then please feel free to complain all you want. But if you didn’t bother to vote, then I don’t want to hear your crappy-ass complaints!

The concept for those people is they don’t like what the government is doing, they want a change, they are unhappy with the president, governor, senator, mayor, etc, but when it comes to completing their thought through ACTION (i.e. voting) they are nowhere to be found. 

The key to completing any concept is through action. If you do not like your job, and you complain everyday, but you do not take any action of quitting your job or finding another one, then the question is: do you really not like your job or do you just like to complain?  If you dislike your elected official, complain about them all the time, and then do not show up at the voting booth on Election Day, then are you really unhappy with your representatives or do you just like to complain?  I see a pattern of complaining here…do you?

When an idea or concept comes into your head and you want something done, you have to take a step forward, and do something to make sure you complete your thought. People imagine that they can just wish their government to change and it will.  They think they can just wish the President or Congress would do this or wouldn’t do that, but is wishing for it actually going to make it happen?  No, it’s not.

People don’t seem to understand that no concept can ever be completed without some sort of action on their part. You can’t just wish for a new car and suddenly have one (well, if you can, please let me know how you did it) – you have to actually go buy a new car. You can’t wish to lose weight and have it happen – you have to DO SOMETHING in order for it to happen.  And you can’t change the government or political system through wishing and wishful thinking, either.  You always have to take a stand and do something in order to complete your concept.